Their Secret Garden
by river basin
Summary: Even a patch of dirt can become a garden, if given time to grow and love that will last forever. [DanzoxOC]
1. Chapter 1

**their secret garden**

" _Even a patch of dirt will become a garden, if given time to grow and love that will last forever,"_

 **.**

 **.**

 **the boy who intrigued her**

Rain poured in buckets down on the village of Konoha, like the sky itself had held everything in for too long and now it had exploded in a fit of rage upon the earth. Thunder crackled in the night air and Niwa felt sorry for any poor soul that was caught up in the storm. It was far past closing time for the bookstore her family owned but Niwa had kept it open on accident after being pulled into a book that was recently published.

With a particularly loud crack of thunder, Niwa was roused from the book and looked up in surprise. There was no one in the small family owned bookstore and Niwa rubbed her chest thoughtfully as her heart rate began to slow down from the jump scare. She dog-eared the page she was on, giving it one last glance before finally pulling herself up to begin closing down the bookstore.

She started in the back, as was her ritual that she did every night.

She rubbed her fingers against the spines of books up and down the rows. Some were smooth, their bodies having not been opened yet. Others were all but falling apart at the seams, the way only a old and very much beloved book could hope to achieve. Some gripped at the ridges in her fingerprints as if so say, _read me! pick me up!_ It was all Niwa could do to continue on throughout each row of books, making sure everything was in it's rightful place, carefully tucked away in their special nooks and crannies, like children right before bedtime.

A small smile graced Niwa's lips at the thought.

She likened herself to the bookstore's mother, full of love and compassion for her books and for the children that would come into the store with wide eyes and a finger pushed over their lips in the universal sign for _quiet._

It was when Niwa had made her way up to the front of the bookstore that she noticed a visitor. He was dripping, from head to toe and it did not take a genius to realize he had just come from outside the rain.

"Sir...?" Niwa said in an unsure voice.

Oh, how her aunts would have whacked her upside the head for such a hesitant tone. Niwa blinked her thoughts away as the stranger, who was a few inches taller than her, turned around to face her. Upon seeing the gleaming hitai-ate he wore proudly over his forehead, Niwa was promptly reminded of her manners. She patted down her pockets and became more flustered the longer it took her to find what she wanted.

"Aha!" she pulled the light pink handkerchief out of her skirts pocket and held it in front of the shinobi. He glanced at it, then at her without saying anything and Niwa had the feeling she had just failed a test of sorts.

"Um...you can use this."

He frowned at her as he continued standing where he was, completely soaked to the bone and Niwa shuffled her feet and licked her lips in preparation for what she wanted to say.

"It won't help very much, but at least you can dry your face with it," she hedged and he slowly reached a hand out, as if that small act of social politeness took everything out of him. He gave one last look at the pink handkerchief that Niwa couldn't decipher until he began to dab at his face with surprising delicacy.

Niwa stood in awkward silence, wondering if the boy felt just as awkward as her or if he just didn't want to talk to her. The shinobi didn't make eye contact with Niwa and it only served to increase her curiosity of him.

Niwa was pulled from her thoughts as he handed the—now soaked—handkerchief back to her.

Niwa smiled, polite as always, and he looked away from her with his arms crossed. She wondered if it was because he was uncomfortable with her being so close to him and she backed up a little to give him some space. Niwa wasn't surprised when he gave no reaction to her possible thoughtfulness. He was a shinobi after all.

Niwa jumped when another crack of thunder shot through the sky and it felt like the sky was attempting to rip through the crust of the earth itself, for how loud it was.

The shinobi gave her a very unimpressed look and Niwa offered a smile in apology. He nodded at her curtly and turned around to head back outside. In a moment of sheer spontaneity, Niwa's hand darted out to the shinobi's and held onto his wrist. Her hand immediately grew wet from latching onto his drenched shirt sleeve but Niwa was also surprised at the amount of _heat_ he was exuding as well.

Niwa wondered if he was getting a fever or if all shinobi were as hot as him.

"I have an umbrella you can use—" Niwa started but he gently pulled his hand away from her and shook his head.

"No need," he said with a quiet air. Niwa pursed her lips together in thought before she looked up at him and smiled.

"You protect our country so please, let me protect you from getting a cold." Niwa said with a quirk to her lips. She offered him her umbrella, and the frown didn't leave his face as he grabbed it from her with a look down at her hand still on his wrist.

It took Niwa a moment before she realized and she backpedaled as quickly as she could. Once she was a respectful distance away from him and not encroaching on his personal space, he turned the green umbrella experimentally in his hands before giving her a nod that seemed too serious and opened the door of the bookstore to head back outside.

"Thank you," he said, and Niwa had barely heard him over the thunder outside and the water that beat down against the small little bookstore. And in a literal flash of lightning, he was there one moment, and gone the next.

Niwa stared at the closed door before an intrigued smile graced her lips and she turned back to the cash register where she sat down to get comfortable for the night.

 **.**

 **.**

 **AN: okay, so. I had a lot of fun writing this. Thank jiemae and L1mey for helping me with this, she is literal bae.**

 **No idea how this will play out but it's looking like it might be told in drabbles. Anyways,** _ **slow burn**_ **romance fic with the military extremist we all know and love—Danzō Shimura.**

 **This is my first time writing romance. Tell me what you think, and if anything is wrong that I need to fix.**

 **Questions:**

 **What are you hoping to see in this fic?**

 **So far, what do you think of Niwa?**

 **Thoughts on the writing? Do you see any errors? What's your favorite part of this chapter?**


	2. Chapter 2

**their secret garden**

" _Even a patch of dirt will become a garden, if given time to grow and love that will last forever,"_

 **.**

 **.**

 **the umbrella that was returned**

The next morning when Niwa ventured out of her home, she had an empty bag over the shoulder of her bottle green yukata and with one hand, she tucked her bangs behind her ear. With the other she locked the door to the house she and her two aunts lived in. She inhaled a breath of the fresh Konoha morning air and when she exhaled she felt lighter.

Konoha had a way of doing that to her.

In the early mornings such as these, Niwa felt like she was the only one in the world when it was still fast asleep. She was the one who got to see the beauty of every blade of grass, each flower in bloom—even those that were still just buds. She saw how the sun reflected off the roofs of her neighbor's homes and heard the birds sing to each other.

Every morning was different, Niwa had learned, and whether it was in the songs the birds sang or the breeze in the air, nothing was ever the same to her.

It was during mornings such as these, that Niwa truly appreciated the ninja who came together— who cast aside their deep sated hate and prejudice towards one another and created something that was _more_ than all of them.

Niwa loved this village that those ninja made. She loved it so deeply she felt it in her bones.

Once Niwa had gotten to the market the morning air shifted. No longer was she alone, instead shops were being opened and other people were walking with a purpose. The haze of the morning lifted from Niwa's thoughts and she was now on a mission to get the food needed. Eggs, and more rice were at the top of the list but Niwa was moving to the fruit stand where she saw some very tasty looking kyoho that would be a perfect snack later on in the day when there was a lull of visitors in the bookstore.

"Ah, Niwa! What a surprise to see you here," Hajime said with a knowing smile. Niwa, at seeing the smile, looked slightly sheepish as she tugged on one of her brown braids.

"I couldn't help myself, Hajime-san. Everyone knows that your kyoho are the best." Hajime preened under the compliment and Niwa smiled back at him. The kyoho were large and dark purple, some of them easily the size of a plum. Niwa continued to make small talk with Hajime, an older man with greying hair who had crows feet and laugh lines. He looked a lot like what Niwa imagined a father would look like.

"You'd have as many kyoho you wanted if you married my oldest—Tatsuya, I've mentioned him haven't I?" Niwa hid a smile behind one of her yukata's sleeves as Hajime began to get more animated as he talked about his oldest son.

"I'm sure Tatsuya-san appreciates how much you care about him, Hajime," Niwa said.

Hajime's eyes softened and he dropped his hands from where they were reenacting out a story from Tatsuya's youth when he had stolen the neighbor's chickens. Soon after, Niwa said her goodbyes to Hajime, words that he parroted, and Niwa turned away to continue walking through the market.

Something heavy landed on Niwa's shoulder and if it wasn't holding her down, she was sure she would've jumped a foot in the air.

"You," a rough voice grumbled. Niwa glanced at the tanned hand on her shoulder and followed it up to the shoulder and then face of the one who had scared her.

"Me?" Niwa pointed at herself with wide eyes, but he didn't see the action. His nodded stiffly and Niwa turned around to face him directly. She noticed a 'X' shaped scar on his chin and she briefly wondered how he got it. Niwa looked up once she realized she was staring too long to be considered polite.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Niwa asked, concerned. His face was screwed up tightly and it reminded her of her Aunt's face when she ate something bad and then had indigestion because of it.

"I'm fine," was his curt reply.

"Oh," Niwa glanced away from him as she thought of what to say, "May I...help you?" She asked with hesitation. He shook his head as a negative and pushed something into Niwa's free hand. When she looked down, she realized it was a green umbrella. _Her_ green umbrella.

"I borrowed this from you awhile ago. Thank you." He said.

"Ah, thank you for returning it," Niwa said, her signature smile still in place.

"I would've retuned it sooner, however, I had a mission the next day and only recently got back. I apologize." That explained his rather haggard appearance then.

"It's fine! You returned it, so no need to apologize," Niwa waved the apology away, yet he remained insistent.

"May I carry your bag for you," it didn't sound like a question, especially since he was already reaching for the bag slung over her shoulder. Niwa took a step back, waving her hands in front of her.

"It's fine! Really," she reiterated.

"I insist," he emphasized with another step closer to her.

There was nothing wrong with him wanting to help her—especially since it had been a month since she had lent her umbrella out. The only problem was that if her aunts saw him, they would ask _questions_ and be nosy and she would never hear the end of it. So the decision Niwa made next was entirely sound to her.

"Uh, here! You can eat these with me," she offered.

He had to lean back because of the box of kyoho that were suddenly shoved into his face without warning. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her from around the box. Well Niwa thought he looked at her. It might've been a glare.

"You want me to eat—" he glanced at the box full of large, dark purple fruits, "—kyoho with you?" Niwa felt very judged by his tone but she soldiered on.

"Of course," Niwa flashed a megawatt smile at him but she wasn't sure it did much to reassure him.

"Right." He sounded unconvinced but he still walked with her to the red bridge that was just built only a few weeks ago. It was over a small river and Niwa's legs swung idly back and forth over the water's surface. The boy had only one leg hanging over the water's surface, the other was pulled up and he rested his elbow on his knee. The box of kyoho was set between them.

Niwa picked up a kyoho and offered it to the boy with an easy going smile, "I'm Niwa. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He briefly stared down down the small fruit like it was poisoned. Niwa hesitated to make a joke about that since he was a shinobi and Niwa had heard many stories of when a civilian made a joke in bad taste.

"Likewise," he said and plucked the kyoho from her. Their fingertips grazed for a moment and Niwa was reminded of when she had grabbed his wrist a month ago and how hot it was.

"Shimura Danzo," he motioned to himself and Niwa's lip quirked up at the name.

Very interesting indeed.

 **.**

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 **AN: second chapter is out. It took me a bit longer but I wanted it to be perfect. jiemae is wonderful for looking over this for me. Love her. Kind of a short AN so onto questions.**

 **Questions:**

 **What do do you think of Danzō's character so far?**

 **What do you think of slow burn romances?**

 **Are there any characters you want to see Niwa interact with? (If yes, then who?)**


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

 **.**

 **The time that was set**

Niwa was, by all accounts, a helper.

Which was why she had immediately climbed up one of the very large trees in Konoha, to fetch a ball that two children had thrown up there by accident. That would've have been the end of it too, if her yukata had not gotten caught to the rough tree bark.

Except for the fact that her yukata _did_ get caught as she smiled down at the two children, wondering why they were the ones who were scared. _They weren't the ones stuck in a tree, so why did they seem upset?_

"What should we do? If she falls she could _die!_ " One of them screamed at the other, and apparently screaming wasn't enough because he had also decided to jerk the other child back and forth by his shoulders.

Niwa didn't think she would die if she fell. At most, she would probably just break both ankles.

It could possibly be worse but she didn't think on it too long because it seemed as if one of the children had dragged a passerby into their problem. The two boys were waving their arms around animatedly. Niwa had the rising suspicion there might have been an elaborate explanation to accompany the story of how they got the ball stuck up in the tree in the first place, but she was too preoccupied by a sudden loss of balance to remember what they said.

When she finally got her bearings again, she looked down to see the stranger the two boys had pulled aside, crossing their arms. It only took a moment, but Niwa recognized their stance, she could see it from a mile away—

"Danzo, hello! Wonderful morning isn't it?" Niwa hollered down below. The immediate stiffness in his shoulders and neck when he heard her voice was also something that she had gotten used to. She smiled down at him from the tree and her grin only got wider at his grimace. He was happy to see her too, _she knew it_. His face was just one of those faces where the madder it looked, the happier he was inside. It was an unsaid fact.

Danzo sent Niwa one last look before he was _gone_ —

She reeled back in shock because one moment he was on the _ground,_ and the next moment he was right _next to her_ —

"Why is it that you're always getting into trouble whenever I'm nearby," he scowled down at her.

Niwa's answer was forced, since she was still trying to wrap her mind around how he had gotten up there in the first place.

"Maybe its the Gods bringing us together," she teased halfheartedly. Danzo was close enough she could feel heat emitting from his body, just like the first time they had met a little over four months ago. He was pulling at the fabric of her yukata away from the branch.

"I don't believe in the Gods," he frowned and pulled at the fabric from a different direction. Niwa raised a brow.

"Fate?" she asked.

"No."

"...Destiny?" she tried again to no avail as Danzo shook his head firmly.

"Do _any_ shinobi believe in the Gods?" Niwa asked and Danzo paused in what he was doing to stare at her. His eyes flickered to her lips and back up to her eyes, likely searching for something—for what, Niwa had no clue.

"...Some do." He said at last, and Niwa tilted her head to the side questioningly but he didn't say anymore more on the topic. Niwa wondered if it was a sensitive topic, or just because Danzo had nothing else to say on the matter. That was something Niwa had learned about Danzo in their time around each other. When he had nothing else to add to the conversation, he simply stopped talking. _No use wasting your breath,_ he would say.

"Come here," Danzo said impatiently. Niwa blinked and looked down at where her yukata wasn't caught anymore before taking a hesitant step over to Danzo. He gave an unimpressed stare, then suddenly looped one arm around the back of her knees and the other around her shoulders. Her arms shot out and wrapped around his neck in a death grip and he scowled at her for it.

" _Don't give me that look_ , you should've given me a warning before picking me up," Niwa said.

"I did, but you weren't listening. What could you have possibly been daydreaming about this time?" Her eyes twinkled with a retort, and Niwa opened her mouth to explain herself, but Danzo huffed and cut her off. "That wasn't an invitation for you to keep talking while I carry you down." He sniffed the air suddenly, and then scowled. "Your perfume is too strong. It _reeks_."

Niwa blinked, surprised at the sudden statement, but laughed all the same, "Does it now? I didn't think it was that bad.."

"The stench is nauseating," Danzo replied.

"Is that so," Niwa tilted her head up at him. "You can let me down now, at least," she said innocently. He blinked, realizing that he had carried her the entire way without noticing, before carefully setting her legs down. If Niwa's grip on his shoulders lingered longer than socially appropriate, nobody commented on it.

When he turned to leave, she felt the urge to say something to make him stay just a little longer.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Niwa asked quickly, surprising the both of them with her directness. "I mean… do you have any missions outside the village?" Niwa took a step away, since it felt like she was stepping on his personal space; Niwa felt like she had been doing that to Danzo an awful lot lately.

"Training," he said.

"Do you think you could take some time out of your weekend to help me find a new perfume then?" Niwa tilted her head, a polite smile on her face.

Danzo crossed his arms as he stared down at her, saying nothing.

"Lunch is on me...?" Niwa hedged, and they stood in awkward silence until Danzo nodded an affirmative.

"Water fountain. Saturday twelve o'clock. _Don't be late_ ," he said and Niwa smiled.

"Got it!" Her smile only got bigger as she watched as one moment he was there, and the next he was gone. One of the boys had dropped the ball in surprise at Danzo's sudden disappearance and Niwa picked it up to hand it to him.

"That was... _awesome_!" the boy said after a moment of stunned silence, and the corner of Niwa's lip curled up.

"He is pretty amazing, isn't he?" Niwa said, more to herself since the two boys had run off by then once the excitement was gone.

 **.**

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 **AN: so it's been awhile… I went through a rough patch. I** _ **could**_ **bore you with the details of my life but I won't. Anyways, jiemae and L1mey have helped once again please give a round of applause for them. If anything feels off or maybe not well written, that's on me because I haven't written in forever so I'm rusty.**

 **Questions:**

 **Do you like the dialogue? Have anything you would like me to add?**

 **What kind of romances do you guys like?**

 **Do you have any fav shoujo manga to recc?**


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